Alice Herz-Sommer
Tony Robbins, in his book Life Force, tells the following story:
“I interviewed Alice Herz-Sommer when she was 107 years old – – nearly 70 years after the Nazis murdered her mother and put her and her son in a concentration camp. Alice was a famous concert pianist in Europe, and she was forced to play in the inmate orchestra. She was told that if she didn’t look happy, they would murder her son in front of her. The Nazis actually made films of her playing to try and convince the world that they were treating Jews well. But in real life, the conditions were beyond brutal. Alice slept on a frozen dirt floor and channeled all her energy into trying to keep her son happy, even though they had little to eat.”
Yet Alice refused to let pain become her story. She gave more than 100 concerts, and while she was forced to entertain the Nazis, something beautiful happened. The music echoed through the yard, into the barracks, where the prisoners who were sick and hungry were fed by the sounds.
In Alice’s words, “We had to play because the Red Cross came three times a year. The Germans wanted to show its representatives that the situation of the Jews in Theresienstadt was good. Whenever I knew that I had a concert, I was happy. We performed in the council hall before an audience of 150 old, hopeless, sick and hungry people. They lived for the music. It was like food to them. If they hadn't come [to hear us], they would have died long before. As we would have.”
By serving others, Alice did more than survive the Nazis. She found a way to appreciate and enjoy her existence.
Robbins goes on to say, “During our interview, I was struck by how everything was so beautiful to Alice. She was living on her own at 107, still swimming and playing the piano. People in the building would listen to her play, just as they had in the camps seven decades earlier.
“Alice was grateful for everything. She talked about how beautiful life is, and how grateful she was that her son made it through that time. How beautiful it was that she survived cancer at 80 and was now 107!”
This story reminds me of something else Tony shares in his book; that our lives are controlled – yes controlled - by three decisions:
• What we focus on
• The meaning we attach
• Action we will take
Decision number one: “What we decide to focus on.”
In her book “A garden of Eden in Hell: The life of Alice Hertz Sommer” Alice stated that optimism was the key to her life:
“I look at the good. When you are relaxed, your body is always relaxed. When you are pessimistic, your body behaves in an unnatural way. It is up to us whether we look at the good or the bad. When you are nice to others, they are nice to you. When you give, you receive.”
Whatever you focus on, you’re going to feel – – whether it’s true or not – – because focus equals feelings. If you focus on the worst-case scenario, you’re going to feel fearful and sick to your stomach. If you focus on the best case, you’re going to feel confident.
Decision number two: “What does this mean?”
As soon as our brain focuses on something, we give it meaning. And whether that meaning is positive or negative completely shapes our life.
“Whenever I knew that I had a concert,” Alice stated, “I was happy. Music is magic.” Obviously determined to make the most of a terrible situation, she attached positive meaning to her situation.
Only you can decide what meaning to give to challenges in your life. “Is God punishing me or is God challenging me?” “Will this make me miserable, or could this big problem be a gift, a chance to grow?”
Decision number three: what am I going to do?
The emotions that grow out of meaning powerfully affect what action we take.
When a major disappointment occurs, some people get depressed while others feel driven to change it. Alice Herz-Sommer survived the horrors of Theresienstadt concentration camp by taking action. She decided to play!
Herz-Sommer is a great example of living out these three principles:
1. What do you choose to focus on?
2. What meaning do you attach to events?
3. What action will you take?
Alice Herz-Sommer found a way to do more than survive; she found a way to appreciate and enjoy her existence. Will you?